Alexei Barov
Barov, Alexei Barov, Alexei Barov, Alexei =Backgroud= Lord Alexei Barov was the Lord of Caer Darrow, Brill, Tarren Mill and Southshore. He was the father of Alexi, Weldon, and Jandice Barov and husband of Lady Illucia Barov. Like Jandice and Illucia, he is now an agent of the Scourge, found in The Scholomance. Alexei Barov is one of the six bosses that must be defeated to summon Darkmaster Gandling. He also guards the Deed to Caer Darrow (see Barov family fortune). He has a damaging shadow AOE similar to the one Baron Rivendare has. Shadow resistance aura (paladin) or shadow resistance buff (priest) is extremely helpful, if not imperative, to fight him. During the fight itself he has 2 guardian mobs with him. Don't even try pulling them separately, as the three are linked. It is common when a party reaches these rooms for Alexei to be the first of the six bosses killed to summon Darkmaster Gandling. This fight is more difficult than that of any of the other bosses, or that of Gandling himself. Any party that can defeat Alexei is virtually guaranteed to be able to finish the instance. =Tactics= Because of Barov's AOE, it's important no matter what strategy used that he is tanked in a place where the AOE won't be damaging non-melee classes. One of the best places is at the bottom of the stairs in Gandling's Study; casters and hunters can do damage to Barov and heal melee classes from near the door between the crypt and the study or the corners of the study. But tanking Barov in a corner of the crypt or even down where he originally stands will do. If you have a priest and a hunter: Have the priest stand on the right set of stairs while the hunter places a Freeze Trap right where the priest stands. The priest can then shackle the LEFT mob. The undead guards are around the same speed as the boss so it is likely that the mob will get to the trap before Barov. The priest must then run a few steps back while the tank sunders Barov and everyone else does as much dps on him as possible. If the mob will cool before Alex dies, have an offtank take a few hits while the rest of the group keeps attacking Barov. The priest will need to keep an eye on the shackled guard in case a reshackle is needed (which, for most groups, will be likely). Alternate priest/hunter strategy: Have the hunter and the tank stand on one of the stairs down to Barov, and the rest of the party at the other. Have the hunter start the encounter by firing on Barov; immediately after, have the priest shackle one guard and the tank rush the other. The hunter must now kite Barov upstairs and around the upper ring of Gandling's Study while the party defeats the unshackled guard, then the shackled one. After both are defeated, the hunter will bring Barov back downstairs (or simply Feign Death) where the tank engages Barov in the lower level of the study. After 5 sunders, melee dps will need to move in while the hunter and casters stay out of Barov's AOE; if possible have the tank engage Barov hold at the bottom of the stairs while casters stay in Barov's original room or right at the doorway to the Study. Mage and Priest: Start the encounter with the priest shackling a guard. The mage will then need to Frostbolt Barov. (Use level 1 frostbolts to cause minimal aggro but retain the snare effect -- it's far more important at this point that the tank will be able to take Barov's aggro quickly than Barov being damaged.) The mage will then need to use frostbolt, Blink and Frost Nova to kite Barov around the upper ring while the rest of the party defeats the unshackled guard. Unless the mage is doing really well with his health during the kiting, you will probably want to reshackle the guard and bring Barov downstairs immediately after the unshackled guard falls. Priest only: Shackle one guard and make sure the offtank can take care of the other one while the rest of the party dpses Barov. Hunter but No Priest: Have the hunter send their pet to tank one of the adds and the main tank take the other add. At the same time the hunter hits Barov with a arcane shot and then runs with Aspect of Cheetah switched on. The hunter runs up the stairs and then kites Barov round the balcony. It is important to maintain maximum range otherwise the hunter takes damage from Barov's shadow aura. Once the adds are downed the hunter jumps back down and enters the room again the tank picking up Barov on his return. It is important that Barov is held well into the room otherwise you may risk immediately aggroing Gandling when Barov dies, if he's the last of the 6 bosses before Gandling. Mage Kiting If you have a frost mage with you, you can use this tactic. Have the main tank start the fight at the top of the stairs on the right side of Barov's room. You must start with a ranged attack. You will then start a blizzard on top of the stairs where the guards and Barov will be coming from. You should be standing in the entranceway to the room. As soon as you have gained aggro on the guards, break your blizzard and move out into the main chamber. Proceed to kite the guards with your various frost spells. I find it easiest to go to the upper floor and to move around the edge of the room. If the guards are getting too close, simply jump down the lower floor, and hit them as they come around and down the stairs. This should allow enough time for the other players to take out Alexi and then you can either drag the guards back inside, or the party can move out to you. This one takes a bit of practice, but once mastered, can be highly effective. Paladin Fear If you have a paladin in the group you can have him cast Turn Undead on one of the adds and they very rarely leave the room. When the Turn Undead wears off the paladin will then be able to recast fairly soon and keep the add out of the battle until Alexei has been brought down. **NOTE: If there is a priest in the group the other add can be shackled to be out of the fight as well.